THE Twilight Saga: Eclipse is so charged with adolescent hormones it could probably awaken Sir Cliff Richard from his celibate slumber.

From the opening scene of Edward and Bella (Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart) smooching in a meadow, the picture quivers with teenage passion, lust and confusion, finally delivering on the protracted tease of the first two instalments, in particular last year’s laboured sequel, New Moon.

The boring, mopey teenagers of that film have livened up for a frisky love-triangle that fizzes with frustrated desire on all sides, even if it does occasionally veer close to parody with adolescent angst that is almost off the scale.

Bella yearns to become a vampire like her whey-faced boyfriend so they can be together for ever but Edward is reluctant to steal her “humanity” (although he does want to marry her) while Bella’s friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) seeks to claim her for himself.

The result is a Twilight movie that finally generates the kind of heat on screen that its obsessed-over stars have created off, with Bella’s tortured passions front and centre: which of two of cinema’s most ridiculously good-looking young men to go for?

Her dilemma may be every schoolgirl’s fantasy but her choice touches a core dilemma about who she really is and where she truly belongs, giving the story a strong theme, identity, that presumably resonates with awkward, confused teenagers everywhere.

In the red corner (literally) is Jacob, a Native American who belongs to a tribe of closet werewolves. He boasts the finest musculature, a set of gleaming white gnashers and a conviction that Bella doesn’t know what is best for her.

Go with him and she won’t have to change into a vampire and do all that tricky explaining to family and friends. She can lead a nice, normal life married to a werewolf instead.

In the white corner (literally) is the ghostly Edward, the world’s sexiest vampire and old-fashioned romantic (no hanky-panky until he’s got a ring on her finger). He boasts chiselled cheekbones, eyebrows like wiry doormats and a belief that Bella is The One after centuries of traipsing the globe.

It may seem like an obvious choice, especially after Jacob’s dorky turn in New Moon but the character has matured into a worthy rival to Edward, played with increased confidence by Lautner, all steely-eyed, manly intent. In fact, Edward seems limp by comparison, not helped by Pattinson who seems self-conscious at times, as if inhibited by the iconic weight of his character.

Or is it that he just finds the whole thing ridiculous? On a few occasions I was convinced he was stifling giggles.

Rendering Bella’s decision more complicated and urgent is an outside threat in the form of a vengeful vampire, flame-haired Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) who leads an army of super-strong “new-born” vampires bearing down on Bella and her community.

There’s considerably more story here than in New Moon and director David Slade keeps the pace tight and gives the picture a glossy cinematic zip, even if he does encourage the cast to go overboard with the moody posing.

Still, (how can one put this without offending young girls everywhere?) the whole thing is undeniably ridiculous.

That we don’t laugh (or laugh constantly, it’s hard not to giggle occasionally) is a tribute to the underlying sincerity of the story and commendable earnestness of the cast, in particular Stewart who anchors the film with fetching intensity.

London River shows how a modest budget and simple story can pack a big punch thanks to great acting and an intelligent, heartfelt script.

Released to coincide with the anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings, it tells the story of reclusive mother Elizabeth (Brenda Blethyn) who travels from her home in Guernsey to London to track down her daughter after the London bombings.

As her panic escalates she joins forces with Muslim Ousame (Sotigui Kouyaté), a man of few words who has travelled from France to find his son – who, it turns out, was friendly with Elizabeth’s daughter.

At heart it’s an odd-couple movie about two lost souls overcoming cultural differences to forge a touching friendship that sustains them in their darkest hour.

The acting is superb and French director and co-writer Rachid Bouchareb (Days Of Glory) conjures up some quietly devastating moments.

Kristin Scott Thomas is riveting as a married mother gripped by a febrile passion in Leaving, a compelling, non-judgmental French drama that explores the devastating consequences of a mid-life love affair.

The picture opens with Scott Thomas’s housewife Suzanne leaving the marital bed at night and firing a gun. The only question is who she has shot, herself or her husband?